Voice Of The Wind
by Darkstreamers
Summary: A naive child, so easily manipulated, so easily inspired, that in order to avoid his fate to return to his home and join his savior's crew, he etched the symbol of his savior into his chest, and permanently damaged his voice box by cutting its nerves at the neck. That day the outspoken voice of a child's daydreams was lost… and found a hold in another man's nightmares.
1. Your dreams: My nightmares

_Your dreams: My nightmares _

_Glaringly, the sunrise cast the vast ocean in a deep orange glow. It's bright hue illuminating an emerging petite ship, which peeked over the horizon, marked by the spade beneath the customary skull and bones, the constant waves of the sea, contorted by the moon, persistently crashed against the hull of the boat, creating splashes of water which would reach above the deck in individual droplets before reforming back into the ocean. Diligently wiping the sweat of his brow, the captain of the ship gazed off into the distance, fiddling with his necklace of shiny red beads as he considered his next destination, unsure what new adventures and places he'll discover, an experience he took great pleasure from as that was the joy in freely roaming the seas, devoid of rules and responsibilities. _

_He'd set out though not with a sole purpose of proving his strength, or to become King of the Pirates, or even to escape out of his own father's shadow. No, he's always traversed the endless seas with an additional intention. An intention of thanking a great man for taking care of his careless brother, of meeting and greeting one of the Yonko, the infamous Red-haired Shanks, though that would have to wait as a dire feeling arose in his gut as the wind began to stir the ocean, causing him to grip his hat less it fly off, the powerful winds taunting the very waters into rising as ominous clouds grew fifty shades darker, turning a fine grey and blocking the overbearing sun he soon sorely missed as the dread of a storm presented itself in all its glory._

_Feeling that sense of dread tear into his insides, he tore his eyes from the once beautiful view of the ocean, rearing his head to catch the sight of a growing tidal wave being swept upwards, expected un-expectable weather in the New World, it towered above their ship as a looming giant, threatening to crash into and overturn the ship. _

_An exuberant flash of the hands and twists of the wrists sent a burst of fire flying from the ship, splitting the wave into two perfect halves in a clean vertical cut to pass by on both sides from evaporation, collapsing the curtain of death and sweeping up leftover driftwood into their sight; remains of destroyed fleets littered the once beautiful water with darkened-coloured wood contrasting against the light of the ocean, casting it in a veil of imperfection. _

_Here a crossroad appeared before him, out of sight with no tracks set for neither the long journey ahead nor a map to set the location at the end of the path. Yet two choices nonetheless were forced upon him. Two simple choices that'll shake the very foundation of the entire world…_

…_To take or not to take?_

_Drifting on the endless sea, an unassuming barrel floated off into the distance off their planned course in the blinding horizon they just had set from. To any naked eye one would see a barrel of rum, a common link amongst pirates and stereotypes alike, unneeded loot and so with no further alcohol necessary, having looted and stockpiled too much already, one would have thought to simply disregard it. As why alter the ship's set course to intercept a single barrel of fine drink? Yet destiny forced the Captain to not sit idly, and ordered his men to turn his ship around and capture that barrel of unknown treasures hiding within. Ordering his crew to go retrieve it, one of his men brought it to him, prying the lid open with a crowbar, to reveal a child of unknown origin lying within, disturbingly fitting inside quite neatly as the signs of starvation made itself apparent. _

_Yet the Captain only saw an innocent child in need of help, and even from the first moment he laid his eyes on him, thought he could let no harm come to him. Though at the time he didn't quite realise how fate was a cruel and ironic mistress, as those exact thoughts caused the reverse reaction to occur, an occurrence which still haunts his dreams, as although he aimed to keep the child hidden and sheltered from harm, he instead actually invoked the child to seek and embrace it. _

_In spite of this horrific series of events that resulted from choosing to collect that one, lonesome, unassuming barrel that floated adrift the natural tides of the great sea, that one day…_

_Who'd of knew he'd of found such a diamond in the rough._

_(Six Months Later)_

Crystals of ice showered the group of travellers from above, glistening in the brief moments of sunlight that crept in, sneaking through the misty fog created by the swirling blizzards raging in circular motions, masking the snow-capped mountains in a white veil. The towering mountains almost hidden in plain sight which painted the scenery of the back-end island, setting the background of the hash dreary landscape; it's once calm winds turning violent in sporadic patterns, whipping up more volatile blizzards, blinding the crew within a white screen, in turn causing the Captain to tightly grasp his cowboy hat before it flew off in the stormy wind. "Are you serious Captain!? Why bother coming _here _of all the places on this God-forsaken world!" questioned a groaning subordinate within his crew, heavily disgruntled by the freezing conditions of their current location. "If you wanted to freeze to death so badly, I could've just thrown you overboard into the depth of the sea without as much as your pants! I feel it hardly necessary to venture here so far off course".

Merely smirking into a full-blown grin at his subordinate's cheek, the Captain ignored him a while before he finally decided to indulge his men's curiosity, "I want to meet him, no matter what, Red-haired Shanks!"

Traversing the hazardous weather conditions and steep mountains, the Captain finally caught the sight of smoke billowing out of another mountain farther in the distance, a gaping hole craved out the side of it, where haughty laughter could even be heard from this distance. "Follow me men, I we've found him". Following a quick decline down the side of one mountain, proceeding a steep incline up the next, the Spade pirates entered the cave only for the laughter inside and the general uplifting atmosphere to halt as the familiar screeching sound of a sword being drawn echoed throughout the cave, the sound coming from one of the Yonko who calmly began unsheathing his sword with his only arm in an elegant manner, "The Spade Pirates, super famous rookies… have come looking for me?" Shanks spoke as he fully drew his blade.

Fearing an attack the child from before, all bandaged up beyond recognition, clambered up to stand beside the Captain with a mean snarl along with it. Not threatening at all considering no man of his peer would fear a child barely reaching his Captains knees. "No, no that's not what I'm here for. My little brother owes you his life and he never stops talking about you. I just wanted to meet you in person to say thanks" Ace spoke quickly, hoping to avoid an unnecessary violent confrontation.

"You mean Luffy?" Shanks asked with a beaming smile, "I never knew he had a brother. I see. I'm glad you came. Please, have a drink with us and tell me more. Let's have a party!" Answering with carefree cheer, both crews sat down to indulge themselves in sake and meat, delicacies for pirates around the globe. "He still talks of becoming Pirate King, it's practically his catchphrase, it's a shame too, considering I'm gonna become the Pirate King myself" Ace stated arrogantly.

"Oh is that so?" Shanks replied.

"For sure, first I'll make every sea recognise my name by defeating the so-called strongest man in the world…

…Whitebeard!"

_(One Month Later)_

A thick mist lingered in the sky, bathing the surroundings in a white hue; the clouds cover overhead further blocking any sunlight, enveloping the forest in darkness. Hidden within the shadows emerged an enormous incoming ship which docked on the edge of the island. The silhouette of a man appeared, standing proud and defiant amidst a large crew of cut-throat men below him, as the gap between the ship and its temporary port shortened.

"Where's the kid who wants to take my head?" questioned a giant who wore an open lengthy white overcoat draped on top of his shoulders, sporting a white moustache and several scars on his muscular chest with an ebony sash wrapped round his beige trousers. "As you wish, I'll take you on; I'll take care of you myself". His footsteps seemingly echoed out as he approached, the sound of his spear scraping the rough-trodden ground shed light onto his ominous presence. Closing in, he let loose a terrific shockwave that blasted a dozen armed pirates off into the distance.

"Flaming Net!"

Raging fires erupted from the earth, circling around the two combatants in a towering wall of flames, the fires separating their respective crews from the Captain's inevitable showdown. Time seemed to slow before a gaping gap appeared in the cylindrical tower of spewing flames, interrupting them and allowing a petite child with blinding blonde hair, that flowed and waved in a sudden gust of wind, enrapturing blood crimson eyes stared blankly upon the two warriors who each remained unwavering in their refusal to back down.

The closest to the child looked back in worry, revealing black locks from underneath an orange cowboy hat, a beige open shirt partly covering bulging muscles, black knee-length shorts matched his similar coloured boots which pressed deeply into the ground in preparation of battle. Across the battlefield, a much larger man, carrying a giant spear that matched his enormous height, regarded the child with a slight incline of his head; his great white moustache twitching in the breeze brought on by the sudden wind, "this is no place for a child, retreat back to whence you came from, little boy".

The child dressed in similar attire to black haired pirate of an high collared open shirt yet orange, revealing an outline of an ace of spades etched into his skin and a slight cut across his throat where the voice box was located, simply continued to stare straight into Whitebeard's eyes, before glancing back at his Captain who still possessed a look of pure fear on his face, "now's not the time brat!" Ace hissed. "Go protect the others and leave him…" he ordered with an extravagant point towards the giant, "…to me".

Silently tsking, the child remained steadfast, ignoring his superior's demands and instead raising his arms, outstretching them in an effort to the reach the very sky. Seeing his partner waiting patiently with a deep sense of concentration straining his face, Ace, reluctantly, too stretched his arms out into the sky, calling forth a stream of fire, which was contorted into a condensed sphere by the unnatural wind currents emanating from the child. "So be it brat, but you better not die on me, God knows you would off been better off staying in that barrel".

Never once moving from the start or shifting from his position, Whitebeard glared passively at the ever growing sphere of death, twirling his huge spear into a blur causing a whirlwind to form before stabbing it into the ground and he too raising his meaty fists up high, "you should have listened to the other brat, it'd be a shame to let either of you die." Unleashing the fireball, Whitebeard responded viciously by violently smashing his fists against the very air, causing cracks to appear and annihilating the attack into oblivion; "It appears both your devil fruit powers work in conjunction together, to separate you two would be most unwise-"

Interrupting in a burst of speed with wind billowing out underneath his feet, the blonde disappeared before shimmering into existence beside Whitebeard, sending torrents of close-range invisible slashes with lightning fast kicks that his opposition merely blocked by causing the air to crack, dissipating the attacks. Following up on the offensive, Ace flew forward with flowing fire replacing his feet to hover above the earth, to let loose a series of flaming punches, all of which resounded harmlessly of his hardened body. Tiring of the endless onslaught, Whitebeard block both attacks simultaneously, grabbing each leg in a cast iron grip, causing him to laugh uncontrollably at the involuntary squeal that came from Ace's lips. Hearing no reaction from the wind user, he observed the child in admiration with him still in his grasp, before swinging them into a full on frontal collision with a resounded crunch of broken bones.

Sliding back with an extreme effort to remain upright both clutched their heads in agony, searing pain blinding them into submission. Recovering from a coughing fit of spitting out blood, both the black-haired and the blonde-haired pirates simply smirked, the darker toned one, broke out in a hysterical fit, laughing as blood spurted from his lips, his companion equally amused which showed through his giant grin distorting his round face.

The pair faced off, palms outwards and fingers spread, calling forth their respective elements to conjure from nowhere. Whirlwinds formed into fearsome cyclones, twisting the very fabric of nature and the nature of fire itself, contorting around the alit flame which burned brightly in the eye of the twister. Resulting in a tremendous flaming typhoon rapidly blowing towards Whitebeard, the destructive force of nature collecting any debris and shrapnel and people in its path, consuming them within its core, where a fate or being burned alive to a crisp or shredded finely by the wind awaited the victims.

Whitebeard never could be considered a victim; forced to resort to weaponry, he mentally congratulated the two, grasping his spear while sorely hopeful in his wish to avoid killing them as such powerful pirates, and such young children, didn't deserve such a fate occurring so soon in their lives. Restraining himself, he waited it out until the heat of the attack burned the skin of his nose before slashing upwards, splitting the fiery tornado and reducing it into a burst of a slight summer breeze which gently cooled the heated tips of his great moustache.

The duo gulped for air, thoroughly winded from their combined attack, neither one could hide the look of dread as they realised their conjoined efforts barely touched his enormous moustache that equally barely hid the owner's giant smirk. Fearful yet not backing down one inch, the pair glanced, eyes making brief contact with a gleam in each, nodding Ace dashed towards his partner, lifting him into the air before grabbing him by the wrists and twirling him around and around into a blur, Whitebeard standing firm as he watched on. Airborne, the child served and dipped lower to the ground before planting his feet deep and with the aid of the forces of the wind, continued to twirl Ace instead, then released him into flying into their opponent alit on fire with both arms outstretched and fists clenched, pummelling Whitebeard on contact, leaving behind two circular burn marks, who remained unfazed by their attack.

Elbowing the attacker in the face to send him careering into a tree trunk, Whitebeard slowly sauntered closer, his opponents backing up, kneeling down in exhaustion to recover, each of them eventually finding the will to try to stand back up.

"Give up brats!" Whitebeard commanded with a mighty shockwave discharging outwards, forcefully driving the pair flat-faced into the dirt, "No man could ever defeat the strongest pirate in the world, never mind a brat! If even now, you still wish to fight, then take my name and roam the seas wild and free, both of you…" he spoke, trailing off as he reached out with an open palm.

"Become my sons!"

"…"

"…"

"Fuck no!"

Merely chuckling in slight amusement at his response, an answer he fully expected, before slamming his hand downwards in an arc to collide harshly against the Captain's back, "Amusing… you speak as if you have a choice". Standing upright, to tower over them once again, he let his devil fruit powers unleash a highly dangerous technique, emitting an unstoppable shockwave in all directions which robbed the consciousness of the duo's and of the rest of their crew behind the wall of fire, who weren't protected from the powerful attack by a simple contortion of fire. Retreating with extravagant flare of which only an almighty leader could produce, he ordered his men with swift flick of his wrist for his sons to carry their new family members on board, never once looking back at the two who would change the very nature of the vast world and everyone in it.

_(Whitebeard's Main Ship)_

Black faded into colour, as the darkness loosened its hold to reveal the light of the sun enveloping the retreating shadows of the tiny cabin. Groaning, Ace woke up with sweat pouring off his brow, leaving the room to gaze upon the vast ocean with a dead arm hanging loosely at his side where the child was desperately clinging onto in a painful vice.

"Your friend there wouldn't let go. Stayed by your side throughout the night, although it's great to see that you already have great nakama; it's time now to meet your new ones". A scar-faced man appeared in full view, dressed in posh light-blue attire with a black goatee, a yellow foulard wrapped round his neck and with an auburn pompadour hairstyle that raised his height by several inches. "I'm the commander of the fourth division, Thatch. Since you and your friend there will be joining our crew, I think we should be friends".

"Shut up!" Ace hissed, waking the child from its slumber with a cute rub of his tired puppy eyes in the beaming light of a new day, slipping from Ace's arm to fall onto the deck with an audible thump. Groaning himself, the child woke up fully from the jolt of the impact, noticing the stranger in alarm causing the wind to abruptly change pace and direction, accelerating around the stranger as the child outstretched a limb and contorted the speed and direction of the wind with a twitch of his fingers, proceeding him closing his fist into a tight grip, forcing the razor-sharp curtain of wind to enclose and engulf the threat.

Smirking, Thatch swiftly drew a pair of swords that were sheathed at his hip, before slashing furiously at the multiple wind-formed blades, emerging without a scratch or nick to his name before turning his back on the two and leaving with parting advice, "Don't worry about your other crewmembers, your nakama are safe on board this ship. Oh and you two might as well act friendly, you're going to be here a while anyway. That is until you accept father's crest upon your back, and truly become one of his son's".

Ace tsked, meeting the child's questioning gaze, "there's no way we backing down now, not while we're on this ship, this's the perfect opportunity to kill the strongest man in the world!" In disbelief the kid made an obvious attempt at scoffing before running his index finger across his own throat. "Not if we can get the drop on him at night when he's sleeping, and don't start complaining already, your nervousness is starting to get on my tits". Seeing the sly roll of the eyes caused a tick to strain his forehead, "It's a figure of speech moron! Don't hound me on it, you know how sensitive I am 'bout my man-boobs" he mumbled pathetically.

_(Whitebeard's cabin)_

"Will you just stop already?" Ace pleaded, forcing back the child with the sole of his sandal to prevent said child reaching the axe he was currently holding. Eventually giving in, the child relented before pointing and wildly gesturing at the four foot long axe currently in Ace's possession, "No I don't know where on earth I found this". Ace spoke hesitantly without making eye contact, an effort to mask his obvious lie. "It must have just been lying around here somewhere".

An increase in volatile winds whipping up a storm outside showed the child wasn't convinced, "Fine! Of course I know where I found it; you can't have one though so quit moaning and help me kill this old fart already!" Ace shouted, tripping over a medical wire in his anger, dropping the axe mid-flight, making him fall on top of Whitebeard with a quiet thump before openly silently screaming, not moving an inch while praying he didn't wake up.

With a loud snore confirming his continued slumber, Ace stayed perfectly still in hope of not waking the sleeping giant, gesturing madly with vivid actions of stabbing and strangling the air to communicate the action of saying for him to _kill the old fart before he wakes up and kills us instead!_

Reaching for the axe sliced an indent into the floor, the seven-year old grinned manically, creeping closer and closer and closer, then abruptly luging forward with the axe in hand, slashing it vertically in a downward motion, skimming Ace's hat before nicking Whitebeards chin who in turn clutched the axe's head between his palms just before it could decapitate him and crushed it into pieces in a show of monstrous strength, proceeding him pummelling the child through three walls, sending the brat flying into the ocean along with Ace who shared the same fate of getting his face rearranged.

"The brat's fallen overboard, he can't swim right? Someone should properly save him. Like now would be a good time. Like right now. He's drowning. He's still drowning. Come on dudes! Fine! Fuck it! I'll save him" a crewmember hollered as he dived into the sea to rescue their newest nakama. "Fucking assholes" he muttered, "lazy shits ain't worth two shits".

_(Later)_

Following a series of failed attempts to assassinate the old fart, Ace conversed with his fellow prisoner on their options in a one-sided conversation on Ace's part, detailing every way man has ever invented and will ever invent to kill a man in the most painful way possible. Interrupting their thoughts was a blonde man with an open collared violet shirt, turquoise sash wrapped round a three shades darker pair of shorts and sandals that crisscrossed over his toes.

"How long are you gonna keep risking your life like this? Make up your mind already! You and the brat couldn't possibly take the old man's head in your current state. There's a reason we call him our father, not just because of his age, or his strength or even because we respect him, he simply calls us his sons, and treats us as so. So think on that, are you going to leave or are you gonna finally join us and become one of us, and accept Whitebeard's mark on your back, hmm, Ace? And what about you kid?"

Glancing at each other Ace looked back from the child to face Marco with a resounding shake of the head in an indication of a no.

"You speak for the kid too?"

"Of course, ever since the day I saved his life, ever since he pledged to follow me even if into the very depths of hell, ever since I told him no talkative loud obnoxious kid could ever become a Spade pirate. Ever since… he… took it upon himself… to rid himself of that".

"You mean the kid actually cut his-"

"Naruto!" Ace bellowed, "His name isn't kid, or brat, it's Naruto! You got that!?"

_(Three Weeks Later)_

"He doesn't seem to like me does he?" Asked Thatch in an inquisitive tone as Naruto started growling whenever he saw him come too close to Ace.

"It's only natural since your part of the crew who captured me, you see, he swears loyalty only to me, not that I'd wished for that, I was just in the wrong place at the wrong time to save this troublemaker's life".

"Oh really? Well never mind that, I trust you've made your decision, so I'll ask for the last time. Are you ready… to take on our fathers name, to sail out on the vast ocean, to travel far and wide, free as a bird on a quest of grand adventure, a heartless journey of pain and suffering, to seek out the grand treasure of One Piece!?"

"Not quite sharing the enthusiasm", Ace spoke with a smirk, slowly backing away from the blinding radiance shining from the man, he's pure white reflective attire not helping in the slightest, "but yes I'm ready. I see now after what Marco told me about Whitebeard being your father; well I know he's quite the father figure, and I too could see him as mine, more than my own _real _father anyway". He spoke with a hint of disgust at the end.

Disturbed by the snarl Ace held when he mentioned his father, Thatch decided to seek a change of subject, "I'm delighted though that you decided to finally take up on Whitebeard's name, and receive his mark upon your back, both of you". Spoke Thatch in an air of elegance.

"Not two, my partner already bears a mark, mine. He follows me and only me, my dream is his dream. Whether it's to become the Pirate King myself or to help your father become the King instead, he will see it done. So no, not two, just the one".

Ace left to enter a nearby cabin, where he chucked off his shirt onto the bed, kneeling silently in front with his head bowed. A crewmember of the Whitebeard's sauntered up, dragging a wooden curved chair with an irritable squeak. The forgettable face brought his equipment closer, before etching in ink the mark of their father, a purple cross of bones underneath a white-bearded skull.

_(Seven Months Earlier)_

"_Smiley, heh Smiley… Smiley! Let me become your nakama! I want to join the Spade Pirates!"_

_Enduring the child's very existence could be the hardest challenge Ace had ever faced, at least right this second it sure as hell felt like it. "I told you before and I'll tell you again! Like hell I'd ever let a brat like you join! Arrogant, noisy, slow, giddy and has the most god awful obsession with orange" he listed, dredging out every reason why he would never consider it, and also why he currently suffered the urge to shove the kid right back where he came from: a barrel in the middle of the vast ocean._

"_Shut up stupid Smiley!" the child cried indignantly, endearingly referring to the two smileys pinned to the Captain's hat, "Orange is God's gift to man, along with ramen, and miso ramen, and instant ramen too and don't forget the most important of them all, the greatest Hokage to be… _

…_Naruto Uzu-freaking-maki!"_

"_Well Uzu-freaking-maki, while it's true you are a freak if I've ever seen one, you're certainly no Hokage, whatever the hell that may be, and nor are you a spade pirate, just a loud obnoxious child trying to stick around the adults". _

_His outer appearance didn't betray the inner turmoil that sprouted within Naruto at the harsh words directed at him, the accumulation of the repeated denial to his desire, his need, to join his crew, to work for him, ran deeper than any mere flesh wound could. "So if I weren't so loud… I could join and stay by your side, and until you become the Pirate King I'll protect you, and I'll prove to myself my worthiness of becoming your nakama?" Naruto asked, abruptly turning dead serious. _

"_Heh, not like that's possible but sure, if you… weren't so you I'll let you join. Though no brat ain't ever gonna be able to contend with the likes of my crew, ain't that right brothers?" His query met with jeers and cheers from his loyal followers. "It'd be safer to just let you off on the next habituated island and leave you in the care of an orphanage". Ace spoke, not noticing the flinch as the last word rang out in the child's head. _

_Later that day the harsh glint of a stashed kunai reflected in the morning sun, its gleam as bright as the crimson blood that sipped out from a self-inflicted wound cut across a child's throat and chest, slight cuts as to avoid endangering his own life._

_A naïve child, so easily manipulated and controlled, so malleable and brittle, a child so easily influenced the child took it upon himself, to correct his error and to make him seem worthy to his saviour, and in order to avoid his fate to return to hell at "home" he etched the mark of his idol into the very skin of his own chest._

_That day thin scars barely scraping the skin surfaced…_

_That day the outspoken voice of a child's daydreams was lost…_

_That day the voice found a hold in another man's nightmares. _

Author's notice:_ This is my first crossover fanfic so please bear with me on this one; it's not on original concept yet an interesting one all the same and this is merely the beginning, so don't knock it yet. This chapter only consists of introducing characters and setting the background of the story, which is why so many time skips occurred. Also, Ace may seem different because not only has Naruto influenced him through the usual bullshit, Ace also had to deal with the communicational problems of talking to one who can't talk back, which enabled them to further understand each other through those hardships, creating a bond between them. This story will diverge from cannon though the main events/arcs still occur although some will have to be completely non-cannon to keep it interesting. Anyway, please __review__, it'll seriously make my day even if it's not a positive one, constructive criticism is desired though. That's all folks. Darkstreamers… out._


	2. Temperament of the Wind

_Temperament of the Wind _

Beneath the endless sky ceiling, cutting through the sparkling white ocean which glimmered and shined under the overbearing sunlight, emerged an enormous ship of epic proportions, its incomparable size similar to its owner whose gigantic height dwarfed any other. On board a child gazed upwards into the sky as he drearily leaned against the side of the ship. His ex-captain exited out of his own cabin moments later, leaving the relieving shade of the inside as well to lean against the ship with him, baking in the heat with only occasional reprieves of the soft wind lavishing his body, "I've always thought of you as my little brother. You see, you kind of remind me of my own brother Luffy, you know?" He asked rhetorically, _always _rhetorically. "Although your appearance differs as well as your appetites, both of you worry me so much. I tell you one, one day, one of you two is going to be the death of me" he light joked, his laughter abruptly turning half-hearted as no response was returned, just an unrelenting beaming grin that stretched across his innocent face was directed his way, causing unwanted memories to rise back to the surface.

Left with no way to reply, the child simply kept grinning, simply content to be within his saviour's presence. As the silence continued, seemingly stretching on into eternity, Ace was reminded of their troubled past, the failure of communication driving him mental as it allowed time for Ace to reflect and regret. Right then Ace felt like no saviour, in fact the undeserving loyalty directed towards him that Naruto possessed left a rather nasty, bitter taste in his mouth, almost forcing him to become visibly sick as the awkwardness grew past a point of no return, the deafening silence creating a sickeningly tense atmosphere, its thickness easily enough for it to be sliced cleanly with a knife.

On board several other crewmembers suddenly started cheering with the noise of clattering jugs of rum sounding out, the majority screaming and hollering for Ace's attention, who, thankful for the opportunity of a reprieve, hastily bid his friend farewell before joining the others, leaving Naruto alone with his thoughts, which were centred around his mentor's bother, briefly entertaining the thought of how awesome it must be to be that brother himself before brushing that ridiculous idea away with a swift fluttering of his hand. Quickly growing tiresome he reflected on the day his entire life changed, although he never once regretted his decision; occasionally the child momentarily wondered what life would have been like if the spade pirates hadn't been disbanded or his speech having been lost…

His wandering, daydreaming, inner thoughts halted as he observed his master conversing with the other members of the second division, becoming friendlier and gleefully interacting with his new nakama, noticing how easily they could all communicate with each other, e_ffortlessly_. Showing obvious signs of tsking in an over-exaggerated manner, the envious child sighed as he tore his line of sight away from his partner, averting his vision less he evokes himself into a lousy mood. Of course he didn't need the spade pirates anymore, he had new friends now. His need to avoid any newcomers and isolate himself from them counter-balanced his need to be with and stay close to his friend anyway. Their continued chatter eventually began grating on his nerves though, compelling him to turn his head back towards the group before he physically forced himself to keep looking the other way.

Desperate to focus on anything else the child quickly pondered a distracting activity, his head leaning back further as his mind became engaged, actively beginning to process his thoughts before he thought of a decent way to pass time. Suddenly remembering his work, he hastily entered the lower deck into his private cabin, retrieving his project before returning with it to the lower deck's workshop, keen to finish tinkering with it. Eventually after constant fiddling with the unfinished motor surfboard yet with no noticeable progress, he grew frustrated, allowing suppressed thoughts to resurface.

Internal torment ran rampant inside his mind; causing an increase in the wind's ferocity to match the furious emotion of the child, brief flickers of flashbacks of the past he envisioned would last forever, instead faded faster than the fleeting enragement he desperately tied to cling onto, a desire in order to feel anything rather than remaining an empty shell. Yet the closer he willed the memories to stay close at the forefront of his mind, the further distant they became as if some trauma blocked parts of his past.

Eventually giving in and forcing his bleak thoughts into a recess of his consciousness, Naruto exited the work bench, leaving the lower deck to return to the open sky on the upper level, approaching his friend, regardless of the fact he's surrounded by company. Sneaking closer, his natural nature of silence became noticeable, or rather unnoticeable, through his faint footsteps. Reaching him, Naruto simply stood transfixed on the conversation, listening to them talk of Ace being sent to force another pirate crew into surrendering and joining their fleet of numerous others who have suffered the same fate as this new one inevitably will. Not making the usual effort to use physical contact to join the conversation, tired of the necessary vivid hand gestures needed afterwards, he gave up, retreating to leaning against the ship.

Saddened by the language barrier which separated Naruto from the rest of world, never had he felt as alone as he did then. Normal raging winds dwindled down into a calm sweet salty breeze; its temperament in parallel to Naruto's quiet and reserved state of mind. It's told that one can only truly feel the deep depths of loneliness when in the presence of others. Never could this saying be so true than today. Though later on in his life, he'd regret ever believing such a copious heap of bullshit.

That day was his loneliest ever… _yet_

_(Amidst The Ocean)_

Abruptly an alit flame of burning passion shimmered into life within the azure sky, its ivory clouds drifting in the tranquil wind contrasting the speeding sphere of condensed flames surrounding a seemingly humanoid figure, which shot downwards towards a petite ship sailing off into the distance. Shining from overhead and blinding the onlookers on deck at the reflecting light engulfing the incomer, the revealed intruder spoke up, "You're Doma right?" Before the person in question could respond a slight acceleration of the wind interrupted him as the intruding gale blew the pirate's black hair around, distorting it into a dishevelled wreck. Twisting into a circular motion around Ace, the wind formed a seemingly protective barrier between him and his enemies.

Smirking at nothing, Ace ignored his partner whose overprotectiveness bordered on the maternal instinct of a mother, before raising his fist alit in pure fire at the motley crew which stood behind their leader and charged in with a war cry. In response, a lanky pirate who possessed a crimson headband wrapped round curly black hair that matched his beard, a lengthy pale overcoat with deep purple cuffs and collar, loose royal-blue pants that finished his attire with a belt securing it together along with his pair of cutlasses, which he swiftly drew into a reverse grip, crisscrossed his arms into his battle stance. The Captain's seriously impassive facade seemed bizarre as a hazel fluffy-furred monkey clung to the cerulean beaded necklace tied around his neck.

Bursting into action, Ace continued his sprint, cocking back his arm before lunging forward with it unleashing a giant fireball that shot towards his opponent who slashed the air in a crisscross, dissipating the attack. Coating his sword in haki, Doma forced a close-range encounter, shuffling nearer while still maintaining his previous stance before quickly sidestepping to the left and swerving his sword upwards into a diagonal arc, barely missing the tip of Ace's chin as he leaned hastily backwards.

Avoiding an unnecessary close-range battle that he would find particular pressurising, Ace quickly withdrew from the heat of the battle, before positioning his thumbs up and pointing his index and middle finger at the curly-haired pirate, firing off multiple flaming projectiles at Doma who in turn sliced each and every projectile in his path while only using minute flicks of the wrist to intercept each one. Tsking at the lanky pirate's admittedly impressive skill, the Whitebeard pirate dashed forward, his upper body parallel to the deck with arms outstretched to the sides, spherical condensed flames in each which shifted and grew as if the fire was alive and controlling itself. Closing the distance between them, the ex-spade pirate clapped his hands together forcing the two highly condensed spheres of fire to collide in an enormous explosion; the shockwave produced flipped the Captain head over heels as he roughly clashed against the mast of his ship.

In an outcry at injuring their precious leader, the crewmembers wildly charged into the fray, hoping to assist their Captain before an abrupt gust of wind blocked them, blowing the crew back while separating them from their Captain and isolating Doma and Ace into an assured final confrontation. Naruto seemingly shimmered into existence, appearing from thin air with an outburst of a freezing draft, peering into the eyes of the pirates whose brief reluctance to harm a child cost them dearly. Leaping into action without missing a beat, the child dashed forward, swerving though the crowd of criminals, slashing their heels tendons to cripple them into kneeling, dodging retaliated strikes from clumsily strikes and lunges from swords. Each attempt to cut him barley missed its mark, just shaving an inch of spikey blond hair as the child ducked under and somersaulted over every sword the gang of pirates aimed to slice him with.

Wading through their clumsy attempts to cut him, Naruto spotted one of them sheathing their katana into their sheath before quickly withdrawing it from its scabbard in a single fluent motion, directing the katana into slicing Naruto's midsection which just dispersed into wisps of visible air, separating him into halves as the onlookers stared in horror realising they weren't fighting against just one logia-type devil-fruit user, they were fighting two.

Meanwhile the other logia sauntered towards the downed Captain who impressively recovered in time to swing both swords at Ace, causing him to leap backwards into safety. Excited to continue he battle he rushed straight in, arms aflame as Ace blocked each sword by grabbing both at the hilt, preventing the sword-wielder from using them while interlocking them into a struggle of brute force. That is until the monkey perched upon Doma's shoulder withdrew a flintlock pistol from his master's belt, firing a single bullet which phased though Ace's face in a fiery spectacle. Though the surprise of such an attack let Doma shove Ace's hold on his weapons off, quick light footwork manoeuvred himself around his opponent for a blind-sided thrust for his back. Determined now to finish this quickly, the Whitebeard pirate fell on one knee whilst tilting forwards, barely dodging the double thrust before serving around into a rising alit uppercut which collided against the Captain's chin, demolishing any hope of him or his monkey, who received the aftershock of the impact, staying conscious as copious amounts of blood spurted from his lips as he fell onto his back with an audible crack.

Breathing a breath of relief, the dark-haired pirate glanced around, finding his fellow nakama amid several pirates, slashing them with wounds stretching across their entire bodies. One by one they fell down too, each alive just barely until the remaining pirates surrendered, quickly casting their weapons away.

_(Later, Whitebeard's Ship)_

Inside the lower level, the Whitebeard pirates were drinking beer, rum, all sorts of alcohol while eating all manners of different exquisite food before a pirate with bushy-hazel hair wearing an open shirt of a paler colour over tight light-blue shorts rose a question that everyone wanted answering, "Ever thought of becoming the second division's commander Ace?" Another Whitebeard quickly backed him up, "Yeah! We still don't have anyone to cover that position, you're reputation matches those of the other commanders so I'm sure the others would accept you!"

Chowing on mouthfuls of bread, he briefly considered the thought with a bizarre look of contemplation, "Hmm?" Turning to another one of his fellow cremates, who despite his size he came off as a forgettable person, "You don't mind if I become the commander right? You've been here a lot longer than me so are you sure it's okay?" A large ebony-haired pirate whose curly hair fell down the back of his neck out of a black bandana he wore atop his head, a similar coloured scruffy beard grew on his jawline, his attire consisting of a white-buttoned shirt with the sleeves rolled up, olive trousers with a yellow sash tied round finished off with classic dark swashbuckler boots fastened by bronze buckles, responded back with a deep throaty laugh, "It's fine, don't worry about it. I don't have that kind of ambition anyway, so go ahead, Commander Ace!" Mind adrift in consideration of this new development, he finished his food before wandering out onto the deck without even realising it, his feet taking control over themselves while his mind was preoccupied.

Sun setting behind the horizon, its fleeting afterglow transiently illuminating the open ocean in an orange hue before the sea shone under the rising moon in the starry night sky, glimmering into a silver complexion as Ace gazed upwards, sighting Naruto perched upon yard of the mainmast of the ship at its peak, peering above and beyond in every direction, the closest islands just visible in the clear fog-less night, the relentless wind having blown it away. Contorting his own lower-body into fiery wisps, Ace floated upwards catching his friend's attention as he himself too perched onto the left wooden pole sticking out the side of the mainmast, "I've decided to become the second division's commander, well, I'm volunteering for it anyways, we'll have to wait and see what the old man thinks. I just thought I'd tell you first before anyone else". Taking a breather now, Ace moved on to what he really wanted to say, "I'm sorry… I know you're not thrilled with this new development and I know you sorely miss the days of the spade pirates, but those days are long behind us. There's no need to keep locked in the past, we have new friends now as well as our old ones, and it's just a larger family now". Staring at him now, Ace peered into his eyes, the mirrors of the soul which reflected the truth of his feelings, seeing a range of emotions swirling within the pool of the eye's depths, a mixture of confusion and hurt which, quite quickly, clearly turned into relief.

"It's time".

Confusion disfigured the child's face as he contemplated the words, not completely understanding what he meant, his childish sapphire eyes glittered in interest, intrigued by what he was trying to convey as he leaned his body closer as if to share a secret.

"It's time…" Ace quietly repeated, muttering under the soothing whispers of the wind, "For you join the Whitebeard pirates and accept his mark upon your back, to stop following me, to forge your own path in this world. 'Cause I won't always be around, you know? I aim to help our old man become Pirate King, my ambition no longer requires that position, as all this time I've questioned myself, wondering what's the purpose of my life, searching for an answer of whether or not I even deserve to have been born, to have existed at all. And… and I think my search is finally over. I believe I've found the answer, you… little brother".

Abruptly the wind completely died down, as if nature suddenly held its breath, shock vivid within Naruto's facial features. Finishing his speech, the ex-captain of the spade pirates leaped down, landing in a burst of fire as he re-entered the lower deck heading back into Whitebeard's cabin before he fell asleep in the hallways due to his narcolepsy, a tendency he tries to control though old habits die hard, leaving his partner alone to his thoughts again as the child leaped down onto the deck, breathing in deeply as he then held his breath before entering the petite cabin everyone on the ship only entered for one reason: to officially become of his Whitebeard's sons and accept his mark upon your back. Hours later he left, clicking his fingers as multiple slashes tore his shirt off, revealing a skull with a wide white moustache overlapping a set of purple cross bones. After having breathed in the crisp air once again since entering the cabin, it seemingly tasted far sweeter than that of several moments ago.

_(Whitebeard's Cabin)_

A series of rapid knocks contacted the wooden door, "Old man, can I come in?" Ace asked while letting himself in to locate Whitebeard lying on his mattress with medical wires connecting to his muscular body while drinking sake within a traditional Japanese bottle, closing the door behind him with an ominous creak. "I have something important to tell you-" Ace began, explaining to Whitebeard the origin of his birth over the sound of a roaring flame of an alit lantern about Roger, his father, as well as his childhood and everything in between.

Merely chuckling in laughter at Ace's admission, Whitebeard regarded his son with a broadening parental grin, "Really? What a surprise! So that's how it is?" He questioned, trailing off as he inhaled another mouthful of alcohol, "You don't really act like Roger though…"

"Weren't you two enemies, bitter rivals? You're really not gonna throw me out?"

"When you told me you had something important to talk about, I thought it would be much larger than this…" Dismissing his son's shock as his mouth was left agape in surprise, he continued, "It doesn't matter who your parents were… _Everyone is a child of the sea"._

_(The Next Day)_

Reverberating sounds of barrels of rum colliding with an audible thud vibrated throughout the air, Marco stood at the forefront of the gathered crowd of the Whitebeard pirates: Jozu, an extremely muscular, broad-chested and heavily armoured black bearded and haired man, with a perpetual scowl, who stood hunched over in rusty-red plated armour with grey-bolted shoulder pads, studded slacks alongside matching studded, gold, large-buckled boots with his usual perpetual scowl still on, strained his black beard and hair, as well as Thatch, Blackbeard, Whitebeard plus the rest of the grunts and the man of honour himself, Fire Fist Ace including Naruto who clung to his neck in a vice, "And now, Ace is officially the second division Commander!" Macro shouted. His statement greeted with cheers and applause as they raised their drinks in respect to their new Commander.

The recently promoted Commander simply stared off into space before a swift nudge in his sides from Naruto quickly brought him back into the real world as they both greedily admired the food set out, gobbling all the food they could grab until they both simultaneously began chocking, the duo started slapping each other on the backs, hastily accepting beverages in order to help force it down.

"Hey! Hey!" Thatch repeated gaining their attention, "The food isn't gonna run away, you know! Besides, the party's in your honour, you know, you can consume all you want, there's no need to choke on…" Thatch trailed off as the sounds of snoring were heard as an animated bubble appeared above the new Commander's sleeping form. "He fell asleep!" the crew collectively screamed out.

Far away across distant islands, news of the new second division Commander spread, the information leaking to all the corners of the seas, travelling all the way back to his hometown in East Blue. On a beach surrounded by palm trees, a civilian dressed in an olive coloured shirt with wavy beige hair along a pencil-thin moustache wearing a violet top hat over it, a feather fitting in at the side, appeared in awe at the crumpled newspaper he was reading within his meaty palms, "Looks like another incredible man has joined Whitebeard's crew…"

Within a common pub filled with the low-end citizens of society, a bold man with a missing tooth suited in a purple shirt and lime overcoat, slammed his jug of beer down in alarm, overflowing the bubbly foam onto the circular table he was drinking at, "They say he's unbelievably strong! That his monstrous power forced Doma's crew into surrender, it's even rumoured he achieved that himself, alone!"

Meanwhile at Moby Dick, Ace had already awoken as Thatch woke him up while he questioned him in his groggy state, meaning he only caught half of it, "…wondered if I could have Naruto join us on an expedition with the fourth division, it's to find the Decalvan brothers crew and persuade them to alley themselves with the Whitebeard pirates, I believe he'd be very useful tracking them down". Ace regarded Thatch with a perplexed visage, staring at the pirate from the corner of his eyes in a cautious way, "I don't understand" he began, glancing over at Naruto, who currently leaned against the side of the ship indulging himself in plates of meat and low-concentrated alcohol, to indicate his location, "why don't you ask him yourself?" Thatch grew silent, starting to speak slowly as if to avoid offending anyone, "Well~ you see, I believe you speak for Naruto, don't you?" At that Ace's eyes turned dangerous, a frightening gleam sparkled within them, glaring right into Thatch's soul, "I don't _speak for him, _he's plenty mature enough to make his own decisions and is fully capable of communicating so I see no reason for you to not be over there", he spoke dismissively, pointing directly at Naruto who innocently waved back, oblivious to the current conversation.

Thatch took that dismissive tone as an opportunity to leave, sauntering closer to the only child of the ship, an exception Whitebeard allowed just this once so the spade pirates would join their ranks. Nearing him, Naruto noticed someone disturbing the air currents he surrounded himself in, his cerulean eyes peering upwards in interest at the familiar stranger, a testament to how much the child interacted with anyone other than his old crew. Seeking a fresh start with their young comrade, the fourth division commander kneeled down in front of him, bringing him level with the child to appear more harmless, "How do you feel about joining me on a trip hmm Naruto? We won't be gone for very long; we're just sailing on a voyage to find more nakama, to search for new friends, you never know, you might meet someone of your own age there. Are you comfortable with that, Naru-?"

Throughout Thatch's thorough persuasive talk, the air became sweeter, turning into a refreshing breeze as the child closed his eyelids while reaching his arms out forward, the draft seeped through his pompadour hairstyle, calming him down into speechlessness. Glancing at the child with a questioning gaze, he simply replied with an unhesitant nodding gesture, keenly disappearing and reforming on Thatch's shoulder as they set off together on another ship which, in the larger picture, represented an insignificant part in comparison of the rest of Whitebeard's numerous ships within his fleet.

Sailing off into the unknown, the forth division plus one traversed over the waves, a crisp salty tang lingered pleasantly in the air, the sprays of water droplets showered the pirates each time the ship dipped too low before rising higher than the sea level, landing back into the ocean with an enormous splash. Removing a pristine folded poster from within his inner pocket, Thatch unfolded it and handed it over to Naruto who briefly glanced at it before dispersing into wisps of air, spreading his presence over the entire globe. After locking onto a certain pair of twins, Naruto returned to his previous state, shifting back into his humanoid figure. Eyes glazed over momentarily, he stretched out his left arm, pointing the index finger towards the north-east, signalling the crew to set off and change course.

_(Later)_

Multiple booming noises of fired cannons sounded out as a duet of ships circled one another, several pirates of each crew crossed over to the other side by swinging on ropes as the crewmembers of each vessel tried to board the other. Screams reverberated out, pirates from either side clashed their cutlasses together in a flash of sparks; the experienced warriors of the Whitebeards halted their advance onto their ship, blocking their attack while parrying any clumsy swerves from the swordsmen. Centre of all the chaos, Naruto confronted the majority of the enemies by himself, letting himself be surrounded on every side with every angle covered in a full three-sixty. Speedily, the child shimmered out of existence, reforming only to cut down them down individually before disappearing with the wind again only to cut down another before anyone could even blink.

Overlooking all this mayhem stood the Decalvan brothers, wide faces with flowing dark hair, dressed in overalls with elbow-length clawed-gloves, each wearing a stereotypical pirate hat with opposing colours matching their overalls and the only contrasting difference in the colour of their skin, one with tanned skin with the other of a slightly paler complexion. Sighting the fourth's division Commander tearing up a shit storm of their subordinates, the pair swiftly moved in as the others hastily retreated as the Captains surrounded the Commander and entrapped him into a death match, "There's nowhere to run now you little pussy!" the twins hollered, laughing uncontrollably afterwards.

Bearing his arms, Thatch twirled his twin swords into separate blurs of motion in a flashy show of skill as he flashed a taunting grin in hopes of enraging his opponents. Successfully pissing them off, they closed in onto him in an instant, clawing at his defence as Thatch separated his attention to contend with an attack on either side of him, blocking their swipes of their sharp elongated nails by quickly deflecting each strike in a flurry of motion. "You're fucking dead you sag of shit!" Ignoring the twins enraged outburst, Thatch blocked the next swipe with his left cutlass while ducking low, Thatch returned the favour with a horizontal slash across his stomach with his right, cutting deep into his flesh as blood spurted out as a fountain of red liquid. Parrying the next strike of claws from the victim's brother, deflecting the set of beast claws as he sliced the tendons of his ankle with his other sword simultaneously, tripping him onto his back before swiftly swerving around and double thrusting both swords into the paler twin who retaliated with a furious flurry of swipes, deflecting the attacks by batting aside the swords proceeding a fast jab into Thatch's stomach, he then started wildly scratching his cheek following a backhand across his face, slapping him into an imprint in the side of the ship.

Catching that his crewmate is in trouble, Naruto decided to cease teasing his opponents, fleeing with an agile swipe of his arm which fired off an expanding invisible blade of wind, annihilating the attackers in a single strike. Naruto brandished a pair of kunai from his side pocket as he sprinted towards the downed Commander, coating each in a veil of razor-sharp wind before flicking them forward with a flick of his fingers sending them flying into paler toned one, pinning his arms to the side of the ship along with Thatch, witnessing the darker toned one groan loudly as he began to get back up, Naruto quickly changed that by somersaulting into the air, following a free-fall flying stomp to the face, knocking the man unconscious knowing that his 'brothers' wouldn't appreciate killing their supposedly new allies, although the Decalvan brothers' cooperation remained to be seen.

Reaching up to the still squirming twin, Naruto without warning yanked the kunai from his arms causing the man to scream out in agony as his body uncontrollably flumped to the floor without resistance, cracking the wooden as his head impacted the deck with an audible thud, its hollow sound vibrated throughout everyone's ears, clattering of metal was heard as the crew observed the defeat of their Captains, no qualms now with surrendering as their only hopes for victory were both currently slumped over unconsciousness with one leaking copious amounts of blood, a testament to how deep the child stabbed those hand-held garden tools into his arms.

Rumbustious laughter spread as the Whitebeards cheered as they wasted no time looting the treasures of the ship; just in case negotiations, to alley themselves with them, went sour they would later claim. Shaking his head at his unruly subordinates, he decided he'd have to discipline them later. After all, _who _steals from the people they desire to ally with, and leave the one's your stealing from untied and conscious, with, he might add, all their weapons clustered together beneath their feet. Indicating Naruto to help him, they both hastily knocked all the enemies out, tying them to the mast with thick rope as their 'bothers' cheers descended into the lower levels, as they scavenged for any potential worthy loot, heaping it into their lanky arms, before taking it back to the surface.

Thatch and Naruto simultaneously turned around as the sounds of struggling was heard as one of their crewmates could be seen hunkering up the steps, panting with exertion from carrying an immensely sized chest which, upon reaching the deck, he dropped it carelessly with a thwack. Kneeling closer to it, Thatch pried it open, revealing an abnormally large fruit which he palmed into his left hand before raising it to his eye-level to inspect it. Within his palm sat a large light-purple fruit composed of numerous tiny teardrop-shaped components with swirl patterns on each, with protruding green leaves sprouting from the top. Naruto gaped at the revealed fruit as he silently gasped in surprise…

'_The Yami Yami no mi!' _

_Author's Notice: This chapter's tile is named "Temperament of the wind" as this chapter is centred on the emotions and feelings of Naruto. Also this chapter mainly focuses on Naruto's relationship with Ace as they're the two main characters, Naruto's interaction with Whitebeard will be touched upon later. Sorry for the slow update as all the essays I needed to write made it hell to spare free time for you readers and apologies in advance for the next update for this story as it will be slightly slow as I'm starting a new pokemon story soon which will temporarily be the focus of my attention, even though this is and will always be my main story until it's finished, which will be a while. Sorry also for the poor quality interactions and speech as conversations are difficult to write when one of them can't talk although I believe I am improving, slowly yet surely. Please check out my other stories too and leave a __review__ there as well as here because they don't seem to be receiving the same attention as this one, in order to achieve what I am in this story with my others and avoid any mistakes I made with them in this one, I need them so please __review__ even if you've got no account as all comments are desired and appreciated, it really means a lot to me. Also this only the beginning readers, it will diverge drastically from canon soon in the next chapter so look forward to it. That's all folks! Later! Darkstreamers… out. _


	3. The Yami Yami no mi

_The 'Yami Yami no mi'_

Ominously the sky turned a shade of bleak red, the light peeking through reflecting in the ocean which seemingly became an interesting tinge of purple. At the bow of the vessel the fourth Commander of the Whitebeard pirates glanced across the horizon, eyes glazed over in immersed speculation over whether he could accept becoming a hammer in the waters to gain an unknown power, "What do you think about all this Naruto?" he asked, facing the person in question.

Shrugging his shoulders in bewilderment, the blonde clenched his eyes tightly shut as brief flashes of recollections of the mysterious fruit flooded his brain, blurry images of written information on the item resurfaced to the forefront of his thoughts before they were dragged back into the depths of the recesses of his mind. Shaking it off in a vain attempt it mask the pain, Naruto glanced at his feet before peering at Thatch as he mimicked scoffing the fruit in one gulp.

Bursting out in laughter as he desperately clung to his knees in an effort to contain himself, Thatch eventually recovered with a wipe of a non-existent tear, "No reservations with you are there Naruto? What you see is what you get. A certain quality I find particularly refreshing in a person, it's what I've always liked about you" he finished with a blinding broad grin as he turned around with his usual exuberant elegance, leaving to once again ponder whether he should delve into the unknown without hesitation as his young charge suggested or continue to wait until he could further examine the devil fruit and check what it's powers were.

Reflecting on what Naruto's feeling were towards his indecision, he nevertheless remained confident to wait until they arrived at the main ship of their fleet, the Moby Dick, which seemingly towered above the clouds in the distance as its outline appeared, signalling they were still a fair distance away because it's humungous size tricked those who manage to catch a glimpse of it, into believing it to be quite closer than in all actuality. Reaching the Moby Dick, the fourth division along with Naruto climbed aboard and they were instantly greeted by the rest of their crew. Although Thatch knew the repercussions of waiting as these mysterious fruits are enough to drive anyone insane with desire and greed, Thatch trusted his fellow companions with his whole heart, '_they're family after all'._

Similarly to the odd colour of the sea, Thatch paraded around a purple pineapple-shaped fruit, unheeding Naruto's gestured request to calm the fuck down and hide such a powerful, destructive devil fruit instead of showing it off for everyone to see, "Ace, look here, I found something interesting on my last assignment. Found it locked up in the Decalvan brothers' chest of treasures".

"Oh, ain't that a devil fruit?" questioned Ace, "You know what type it is?"

"Don't know right now" Thatch replied, scratching his chin in thought, "Although there's always one easy way to find out" Thatch stated, chuckling.

Unbeknownst to both Commanders, Teach's pupils enlarged at the sight of the fruit, mouth agape in shock as his surprised appearance soon turned to one of glee as a maniacal smirk distorted his ugly broad face, noticed only by the unheard child who attentively watched Marshall D Teach, narrowing his eyes in obvious distrust. Despite Naruto desperately trying to warn them of the way Teach's acting suspicious since he saw the fruit, always thinking of Marshall as an untrustworthy and peculiar character, the others left leaving Thatch alone with Teach lurking hidden within the shadows casted by the moonlight and stars which dotted the sky.

Contradictory to his feelings, knowing the others trusted Teach and everyone else in their crew, Naruto decided to leave him alone, only occasionally keeping tabs on Thatch throughout the night believing he would have made his choice and eaten the fruit by sunrise. Although as Naruto left to seek residence within his petite cabin an foreboding thought clawed at his mind, _'what if Thatch didn't live to see morning?" _His dark thoughts matched the incoming weather further in the night.

_(Later That Night)_

Dreary grey clouds floated above, causing endless of droplets of rain to cascade down from the sky, the incoming storm stirring the waves furiously lapping against the lonesome gigantic ship that loomed ominously in the darkened horizon, its sails billowing fiercely in raging winds. Islands briefly illuminated in the lightning striking the pitch darkness of the night, no clear course set. Thunder flashed in the starry night sky, irradiated the tear-drop devil-fruit, palmed carefully within Thatch's hands as he traversed the deck before settling against the side of the ship to stare at the bottomless ocean depths, pondering deeply the mysterious object he currently possessed.

Glinting in the starlight shined a short curved blade, its sharp metal edge gleamed in anticipation of the kill, its wielder sneaking closer to his victim as he enveloped himself into the shadows, masking himself into an aura of darkness as he continued to stalk his prey, waiting for the opportune moment to strike for the target to remain unaware even in death. Closing the distance slowly, the man masked within the shadows shadowing Thatch started breathing heavily, matching the rapid beat of his heart as the act of murdering one of his nakama abruptly became very real.

Leaping from the blanket of night, the masked man dragged the blade down into a lunge; the blade almost puncturing his back before suddenly a projectile out from nowhere intercepted it in a shower of sparks, the shockwave of the clash forced the intruder to be blown backwards, the blades producing a sharp metal clang on contact which caused Thatch to turn around in alarm as he hastily drew his pair of cutlasses from his hip-dropping the fruit as it bounced across the deck, "Who's there? Show yourself!"

Cackling laughter sounded out in response as Teach revealed himself, his remaining sparkling white teeth contrasting the shade from the moonlight covering half of his body, the shadows seemingly appeared attached permanently to him. Distracted, the child of the Whitebeards quickly dispersed into the flowing winds, reforming silently behind the large bearded man with an already drawn kunai, swerving sideways he aimed to slash Marshall's neck in one swipe when Thatch's eyes enlarged in surprise, announcing the blonde's planned attack to Marshall D Teach whose psychotic smirk promptly faded, ducking the strike before sidestepping the next, Teach twisted around thrusting his knife at Naruto who deflected it with ease while he took out another kunai to block the sword his opponent extracted from his sheath.

Thatch, detecting an opening, joined the fray as he hacked and slashed his swords into a blur into Marshall whose retaliation turned weak as his attention became diverted as the child continued his assault. Sandwiched between commander-tier fighters, Marshall Teach resorted to inhuman tactics; halting Thatch's advance by twirling his sword into a circular blur forcing Thatch to retreat into a backwards somersault while Naruto drove his blades forward which he 'blocked' by thrusting his palms through them voluntarily catching Naruto off guard as the sudden surprise temporarily forcing him into tangibility, allowing him to clench the child's hands as he yanked him closer into viciously smashing his skull into the child's who stumbled backwards in a haze.

Hunkering across the deck while the others were distracted, Teach stooped low, bending down to hysterically clutch the fruit between his meaty palms before raising it up level to his face and proceeding that, licking his lips dutifully after shoving it down his gullet as a burst of shadowy wisps of black flames spurted forth from his form, stealing Naruto's breath away as he realised the implications and the world changing affects consuming such a power would have. Thatch and Naruto beheld the sight of their crewmate truly becoming a monster of nightmares, each trembling as the force of his presence enforced both to drop down on all fours with sweat dripping from their brows in exertion to simply stay conscious, Marshall D Teach cackling in the moonlight which illuminated his callous expression, distorting his ugliness into something much more terrifying, a visage he turned onto Thatch and Naruto with a shiny gleam within his eyes as he slammed his hands down onto the deck while whispering softly…

"...Black Hole!"

Spewing forth emerged a sea of darkness which spread throughout the upper level of the ship, engulfing the downed pirates and random objects and absorbing them into dark void empty and devoid of life, swallowing them whole into an endless void of nothingness. The fourth division commander alongside his friend drifted through the space seemingly for an eternity as their minds dulled in shock, their eyes growing wide as the realisation of the likely prospect of dying dawned on them. _'Wait! Dying? I'm already dead aren't I?'_

Utmost pleased, Teach chuckled deeply as his control over his powers appeared quite adequate for a first time use, he roared in hunger for more power, "Liberation!" Regurgitating Naruto and Thatch back up with copious amounts of debris hitching a ride; Teach 'spat' them out, hurling them upwards to career into the ship's central mast, splitting it in half forcing the towering mast to collapse, crashing it into a collision with another mast, producing a deafening crack to reverberate throughout the ship. Monstrous cuts and bruises arose from the impact as they both tiredly tried to recover, each only managing to kneel down in exhaustion.

Extending his hand out towards Thatch, a miniature spiral of darkness emanated from the tips of Marshall's fingers as he pointed out his sword with the other hand, "Black Vortex!" Activating the power of gravity, Teach threw Thatch up into the air, yanking him close enough to grasp him into a vice grip around his neck as Thatch instantly struggled within his grasp, clawing at his hands in desperate need for oxygen. "Blackbeard! Remember the name of the one who will become Pirate King!" And before anyone could react, Blackbeard plunged his blade straight through Thatch's stomach before maliciously yanking it back out as Thatch dropped lifelessly onto the deck, the hollow thud echoing throughout the ship.

Hearing the impact of the collision and the screams that followed, the sounds of grunts from the crew were heard as they all crawled out, still tired from waking up at such a God-awful time, lost all signs of tiredness as they received a shock when they noticed the injuries two of the three they were gathered around sported and the increasing life liquid flowing from their bodies. Grateful for the reprieve from his brutality, the downed Whitebeard pirate too flopped lifelessly onto the deck while Teach, worried one of the remaining commanders would soon arrive, hurriedly left, leaping onto a prepared petite boat as the amassed crew rushed to the side to peer over the edge, glancing at the fleeting figure disappearing into the covering gloom of nightfall.

"Who on earth is creating such a racket?"

Entering the scene arrived the second division commander with a quizzical expression contorting his facial features, the assembled crew merely all collectively glancing behind him were his 'bothers' laid, blood pooling around their figures as Ace thought the worst as he rushed over, tears already welling in his eyes as he barely reached his little bothers broken body, the overwhelming pressure weighed on his shoulders as the gravity of the situation forced him to kneel beside them. Seeking a sign of life_, _he desperately reached out, timidly touching Naruto to avoid hurting him further as his own heart threatened to escape his mouth as a faint heartbeat thumped against his hand, sending a wave of relief washing over him.

Abruptly realising Thatch's similar condition, he yelled for someone to fetch the nurses as he dashed over to Thatch's downed form, locating his pulse and feeling it beat at a much slower pace, his mouth twitched as if he needed to speak, to part off with his final words, yet his short ragged breaths never ceased slowing down until they eventually vanished. Unblinking, skin turning paler than Thatch's cold corpse, 'Fire Fist Ace' became livid, his increasing temper not cooling any even as the Captain's personal batch of helpful healers carried his friends away to be treated, his eyes narrowing in suppressed fury. Swiftly he left to the lower deck, the others quickly departing to move out of his way as he stormed past, hastily returning with his custom modified surfboard which he chucked overboard onto the open ocean as he planted his sandal firmly against the side of the ship and grabbed it too in preparation to vault off in search of his subordinate to punish him and obtain revengeful retribution for his comrades.

"Stop it Ace! Calm down!"

"The old man told us he'd make an exception, just this once" another burly crewmember stated, dragging Ace back down onto the ground before he managed to escape, "You don't have to chase after Teach!"

"Get your hands off on me!" Ace screeched, snatching his arms back with rage-induced brute force before they were quickly seized again, "He was a member of _my _division. If I ignore this Thatch won't be able to rest in peace, and neither will Naruto!"

"Now calm down. Naruto's in critical condition though he's expected to recover. And Thatch… Marco trailed off; his silence speaking louder volume than words as the implications of his tone told the whole story. "

"Ace" Whitebeard spoke as he signed deeply. "It's fine, just this once. I have a weird feeling about this".

"He's killed a crewmate, severely injured another and escaped unharmed. How many more people will it take before we deal with him? After living under your protection for so many years… he just spat right in your face! Above all else he tarnished his father's name. You think I can just ignore that?" he questioned, straining his hat to cover his face to hide the tears streaming out of his eyes. "I'll settle this!"

"Hey wait! Come back Ace! What about Naruto?"

"He can wait for me to return" Ace spoke as he kick-started his engine, "this is for him too" he softly whispered.

"Ace!"

_(Medical Bay Three Days Later)_

Hooked to several wires connected to medical equipment laid Thatch and Naruto in separate rooms, the latter conscious and healthy, the former's condition unknown to the other. Worried for Thatch, Naruto spiralled off his hospital mattress, shuffling nearer to the thin wooden wall which separated him from the disastrous situation in keeping Thatch alive. Straining his ear closer he could overhear pickets of the conversation involving Thatch's condition and lack of medical supplies from Whitebeard's overuse of medical equipment, "Thatch's condition is stabilized for now, it's not worsening; it's not improving either. Thankfully the sword missed any of his vital organs although his major loss of blood from the wounds inflicted is a significant problem. He'll die soon if he doesn't receive more blood and there's no one on board with a similar blood type; except _him _of course_"._

"Who's that?" one of the nurses quietly questioned. "Ask him then you fool!"

"It ain't that simple I'm afraid, he's already left, the only one with a similar blood type as Thatch, the only one who can save him is Ace! And he's gone now".

"Can't we at least freeze him to lengthen the stabilization period? Perhaps we could wait it out until he comes back?"

"Not possible, we haven't any such equipment, unless you're implying you desire to chuck him into the food store freezer with the other kind of meat. Besides there's no way anyone could reach him in time, never mind the return trip".

Ceasing his eavesdropping with eyes enlarged and a glazed over appearance within them as he processed that information, having already been told of his brother's absence on his search for revenge, Naruto knew he needed to keep this secret or else his brother would be devastated when he found out; probably end up blaming himself believing he murdered Thatch. Slightly miffed the only one able to save Thatch had to leave so quickly without a word, and could have avoided this entire situation, although he understood his brother's pain and desire to hunt down Teach to avenge his brethren, he didn't comprehend why he felt the need to accomplish such a task on his own. Feeling slightly abandoned by his partner, he slapped himself knowing his brother wouldn't ever do that, at least only if he perceived it be for his little bother's benefit.

Deciding to leave to find and help Ace in his quest, he quickly exited his recovery cabin, hastily entering the stairway heading upwards to the connected upper levels unto the deck, leaning against the side as per usual whenever he needed to contemplate anything or relax. Forcing the wind to visibly accelerate, its speed and course swiftly changing as he spread his focus across the entire globe, wherever the wind travelled he could plainly observe as if it were right in front of him. Not detecting him anywhere within his sight, Naruto deduced that his location is out of his range and no currents of wind are there or he's hiding somewhere where wind wouldn't be able to touch him, like underground or behind buildings or more likely the indoors.

Pouting, he sighed inwardly, silently tsking at his saviour's annoying behaviour and habits, 'he doesn't actually think he can leave me behind does he? Whitebeard must've knocked his head one too many times way back then' he thought, his reflecting becoming nostalgic despite his young age. 'I know how dangerous Blackbeard is, and I know you're trying to protect me. It ain't happening though, not this time!' he thought as his body slowly disappeared into thin air to reform back with his finished project, a hover board with rotating turbines underneath which is powered by the very wind, a suitable vehicle for his certain abilities, mounting it, he hovered in the air briefly before disappearing with wisps of air replacing his body in a flash of speed. 'I'll search the four corners of the world, until the end of the earth where the threat of falling off the very edge becomes so real. And I'll find you, and help you take down Blackbeard!'

Unheard by Naruto the nurses continued their conversation, finding a temporary solution to Thatch's condition, "if he receives a blood transfusion with a compatible blood type, we may just be able to save him!"

"Consequences? Chance of failure?"

"At worst he'll die anyway, at best he may survive although he will suffer from an allergic reaction to the foreign blood and will most probably suffer severe symptoms from the transfusion".

"How severe?"

"Severe enough he could end up six feet under from the symptoms alone, or at least he'd prefer death".

_(Unknown City Two Weeks Later)_

Amidst the chatter in the tranquil rural city one of the peaceful citizens living there exited her home, sweeping the dust from her entrance as she admired the towering building lining the streets, breathing in the sweet lingering taste of fresh clean air and the gorgeous aroma wafting out from the 'Pasta Lake' restaurant, the central heart of the city, which stood across the river separating her and the lively street where the restaurant were located. Umbrellas sprouted from clear glass tables and chairs parked around it seating crowds of individuals who gathered round chattering aimlessly, blocking the overbearing sunlight of what the tiled roofs couldn't cover.

Abruptly disturbing the peace exited a lone fellow she didn't recognise from the 'Pasta Lake', carrying stacks of plates as he sprinted out, scoffing the remains of what covered his last dish before dropping the load to crack on contact with the brick layered path, causing the chasing chef with the initials P.L. decorating his apron to slow down as he carefully avoided the cluttered shards which now littered the street while the thief escaped, the unfamiliar person, with a necklace of electric-crimson beads hanging loosely from his neck, leapt onto the bridge connecting the gap between the girl's side of town with the other, causing the viewer to sign half-heartedly at the crude behaviour shown by the thieving escapee.

"Bloody tourists"she muttered under her breath.

The tourist mentioned busied himself with scampering off while licking his lips, savouring the taste of the fish skeleton dangling from them. Leaping onto a low building to reach another higher one, the chase continued on through the rooftops, "I'm sorry for not paying, I only realised I hadn't any beri on me _after _I ate. Don't worry. I'll pay you back for sure!"

"Sure you will you rotten thieving mongrel, get back here before I get really angry!" exclaimed the chef with steam billowing out of his ears while flicking boiling hot pasta sauce at the criminal. Seagulls squawked as droplets of the spicy sauce splashed one of them causing the whole flock to dive bomb through the clouds and cluster around him as they viciously pecked at him leaving Ace time to hurry off, falling off the buildings in his haste as he flew towards the dock bay, meeting and greeting anyone who would listen, seeking information on Blackbeard's whereabouts until the irritably persistent restaurant worker rounded the corner, eyes empty and bulging out as pure fury radiated off the shorty.

"Come on! Quick! Tell me anything you know" he asked the people there, one large bold fisherman with a jutting beard and an enormous fish strapped to his back over a plain white shirt containing beefy muscles needed for his line of work with thick boots beneath wide shorts hiding spindly legs, while the other a more thinner, lanky character wearing an outdated Hawaiian shirt and lengthy dark trousers fitting his elongated legs.

"Yeah I've heard of him" the one in the shirt spoke up. "He's a newcomer around these parts, heard him living an' working somewhere in the south district".

"Thanks a lot, I'll repay you one day!" Leaving on that, he dashed off, determined not to let his pursuer catch up as he rushed off heading for the south district in the lower parts of the city. Asking questions left and right while he knocked down doors looking for any sign of _him _when just by chance, a large rotund figure with bushy black hair with a protruding beard dressed in a white lab coat carrying a suspicious ebony suitcase happed on by coincidently, crossing his path along the river until Ace fly kicked him in the face following a dropkick into the earth, "Blackbeard!" he screamed, turning over his unconscious body revealing the hospital insignia etched into his clothing alongside his name, "Dr. Blackbeard? Sorry, wrong person" he quickly apologised. Yet the doctor wasn't satisfied, acting irked and irritable, allowing the enraged chef to catch up and surround him as a droplet of sweat dripped down Ace's forehead in fear, trying to explain the situation with a sheepish expression as he rubbed the back of his neck before abruptly falling asleep enraging them further into shoving his helpless inert form into the flowing river, his body drowning like a hammer, following the flowing river round it's bent and twists throughout the city.

Sinking further into the depths of the stream, Ace gazed upwards with eyes wide agape as he sank deeper, peering at the various wildlife of aquatic creatures traversing the river with frogs leaping over the glimmering water across lily pads which were pressed downwards from the added weight of the toads, before rising back up to settle on the surface. Quickly losing oxygen as bubbles escaped his mouth, the coursing river took a swift turn into a dead straight, cutting through some back-end village behind the industrialized city, crossing by a petite female child with lengthy light coloured hair, three shades lighter than bronze with the tips slightly darker touching the edges of her shoulders, half covered by a deep scarlet bandana, wearing a plain sleeveless top over a short skirt decorated with intricate patterns alongside oversized white boots. Gasping in alarm as she noticed him drowning from the corner of her eye as he abandoned her work to dash over with her stubby little legs over to her river as she dived in, heaving the stranger out onto her dock bay for their rowboat, immediately pummelling his chest to force the water he swallowed to squirt out into a fountain.

"Oh me lord, you okay?" she asked sweetly, contrasting the harsh beating she gave earlier, "I hope you aren't dead sunshine, it'd have been nice to have some ol' company once a while" she continued to chat animatedly, unhindered or unheeding of the fact of the stranger's unconsciousness. "I'd better take you into the hut for some 'a rest, I'd bet some of me milk get you'll up and 'bout in no time", 'me milk' referring to the multitude of cows roaming her hillside. Carelessly dragging her new friend by the foot, she entered her shack and laid him down beside the roaring fire as she roughly wiped him dry with the scarlet bandana wrapped round her hair before tying it back after she finished, peeking out the windows as she plopped down beside her visitor, staring at the pouring showers as she huddled closer to the flame for warmth.

_(The Next Day)_

Groaning, the second division commander of the Whitebeard pirates awoke from his slumber, greeting the morning with a nasty snarl, wafting a hand over his eyes to block out the irritable sunlight peeking through the gap left by the door which stood ajar. Reluctantly he rose to a kneeling position with knees spread out wide to hunch over the scorching blaze, leaving without a care of waking up in some strange establishment. Swatting the entryway wide open exposed the lush hills and large expansive fields surrounding him, each area abundant with wildlife. Noticing the girl perched upon a fence guarding the animals, he sauntered up closer to the child, scrutinising the letter she was currently writing and signing off upon completion, folding it with tender care into an envelope.

Tapping her shoulder gently caused her to yelp out in surprise, consequently forcing her to fall off her fenced seat as she continued screaming until he shushed her forcibly with a finger to the lips. "Quiet now, I won't harm you" he softly whispered to ease the child. "You saved my life after all. In fact if anything I wish to help. Repay my debts if you will".

"Help lil' ol' me?" she questioned quizzically, tilting her head cutely in confusion.

"Sure!" he uttered with a blinding grin, bending down and leaning closer for to hear and feel completely secure.

"I've a message I need sent to the Marine base G-2 where my parents work" she explained until she noticed his displeased expression causing her to blush in embarrassment, "I-I'll even exchange you some milk for your services". Darting away as fast as her tiny stubby legs could, she briefly entered the hut before returning with a pitcher of milk in her hands, offering it with her head bowed with the pitcher held above her, "please!"

Without a word he snatched the pitcher, downing it all in one gulp before reaching out to collect the envelope, 'I'll be able to find some any important information the Marines may have on Blackbeard, it's certainly worth a shot'.

Jubilant with the trustworthy stranger's cooperation she handed the envelope over, tears threatened to emerge before she dutifully wiped at her eyes, revealing a broadening grin afterwards that hit too close to home, her massive innocent smirk too alike Naruto's, 'perhaps I shouldn't have left him behind, he's definitely pissed off with me now'. Tearing his sight from her he disappeared into a burst of flames with a subtle wink, reforming next to the dock where his transportation vehicle, a motor-powered mini-boat with a short sail attached to the back, awaited him having followed him upstream. Waving her off he slowly departed with parting words roared over the sound of the engine, "you never told me your name little girl".

"Moda!" she screamed in response, "you never revealed yours either!"

"My name is of no significance; why don't you just forget about me? It'd be easier for everyone".

Leaving with a burst of power blasted a ton of water to splash her as she screamed girlishly as she received a soaking, causing her pet cow accompanying her to moo excitedly causing her to giggle in turn as she gleefully waved back to his retreating form. Traversing the waters with a set direction it didn't take long to reach his destination. Snacking on bread from the last of his emergency provisions he nicked from that restaurant, the base loomed over him, towering in its enormous height. Tying his transportation device to a nearby rock out of view, Ace swam the rest of the way, submerging himself underwater when he reached within eyesight of the sentry guards posted around the base. Climbing over onto the rocky outcrop of the island, he sneaked closer to the entrance, clotheslining the unsuspecting sentry guard, dropkicking his downed form to ensure his unconsciousness; he swiped his marine jacket, shoving it over his usual shirt, plucking the standard marine cap off his head to plonk it on his own covering his dishevelled dark locks. Coughing loudly to alter the pitch of his tone and dusting his shoulders with the necessary amount of swag, he sauntered up to the guards guarding the entrance with a slow gait, saluting each officer he gained access to the gate and entered the base with a pleased smirk.

Stomach growling from hunger pains despite scoffing five grown man's share in the morning, Ace decided to take a little detour on his course, heading straight for the cafeteria for another five course dinner. Finding it much to the horror of every other marine currently stationed at this particular base as a _marine_ began piling copious amounts of all varieties of cuisine onto his tray, heaping what couldn't fit onto another tray he balanced on his cap, devouring all of the food as he gargled litres of beer to "wash it down".

Conservations commenced on the enigma currently solely depleting all their food supplies as the 'dinner and a show' forced several off their appetites. "Truly disgusting; appetite like a beast that one scoffing more than even that mongrel Whitebeard!" Laughs rose within the group spreading around to the whole cafeteria as several ticks marks strained the disguised pirate, the clatter of trays being flipped ended the chatter and laughter and everyone focused their attention on the unrecognisable marine who with deliberate slowness rose from his seat, sauntering closer to the asshole with a clear fake cheerful smirk, before snarling menacingly, cocking back his arm Ace planted a foot forward creating a shockwave on impact as he slugged the marine into breaking his ugly face as blood escaped his battered lips with shards of teeth flying around. Spitting on his broken unconscious form, he sneered maliciously as everyone else quickly abandoned their fellow officer to safety.

"_Heard you talking badly 'bout Whitebeard!"_

_Author's notice: Thanks for reading and for the followers/favourites of this story, I really appreciate it all, I mean it. This chapter ain't my best as I found it difficult to interpret the storyline from limited amount of front cover illustrations. And this is important, about Naruto's ability to see through the wind, he can only alter the winds course in a large yet limited range, meaning past that point if there's no natural wind near the person he's trying to find then he can't locate them. I'm probably am going to use more commonly known Japanese words in the future as I feel sometimes you can't translate certain words/phrases properly, if that's a problem speak up. Also, in case anyone is interested, the characters Dr. Blackbeard and Moda are in fact cannon, it's just that they were never animated from the manga into the anime. And how do you readers feel about incorporating more of the Naruto aspects into this crossover? I've planned to include more characters and certain abnormalities from the Naruto side of the story and I wish to judge your feelings towards that matter so please __review__ and mention your comment and thoughts on this. Oh, and what do you feel about including nine certain mythical devil fruits into this story? Peace, Darkstreamers out. _


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